Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Huh? (1)
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Around the time the Absolute Ruler of Darkness began cheering at the news of the Execution Sword.
"The boss on the 3rd floor is a Quartz Golem. As expected of a golem powered by magic stones, it never tires, and its attack and defense are top-notch."
Kim Hyunwoo was briefing Elena on the 3rd floor.
"That said, it shouldn't be too tough for you to handle, Elena. Quartz Golems move slowly and their actions are sluggish. If you just memorize the weak points I've told you about, taking it down won't be hard at all. Honestly, the real threats on the 3rd floor aren't the boss—they're the monsters lurking around it."
Kim Hyunwoo was going over every detail about the 3rd floor with Elena.
He had already called her in yesterday for a preview, but he figured a review wouldn't hurt before heading out. So, right before departure, he summoned her again for another rundown.
"Alright, I think I've covered everything you need to watch out for. Good luck out there. And make sure to brief the soldiers and mercenaries on the 3rd-floor monsters too."
"Yes, sir."
With a small smile at his final words, Elena wrapped up the conversation and led the soldiers and mercenaries down to the 3rd floor.
Watching them from the lord's castle window as they entered alongside her, Kim Hyunwoo thought to himself.
'She'll be fine, right?'
Truth be told, Kim Hyunwoo wasn't too worried about the 3rd floor.
The labyrinth did get tougher the deeper you went, but Elena's stats were more than sufficient to clear it. Plus, he'd hired a ton of mercenaries this time—just in case—for the unit types whose proficiency had maxed out without upgrading, to minimize any deaths.
Having mercenaries up front would definitely keep soldier casualties to a minimum.
'Of course, starting from the 4th floor, I should probably hold off on bringing soldiers altogether.'
That wasn't a problem for now, though.
To build the labyrinth city he had in mind, he only needed to clear up to the 3rd floor anyway.
So.
'Once we conquer the 3rd floor and get back, I can kick off the labyrinth city project right away—no worries there... but what about resources?'
Gazing at Elena as she fully vanished into the labyrinth, Kim Hyunwoo shifted gears and pondered his next issue.
Thanks to his remaining magic stones, he'd fully repaired the Lartania workshops, but production still couldn't keep up with the territory's development pace.
Spending blue stones felt wasteful now, and waiting for natural growth was too slow.
'Even the trading post I was counting on requires good relations with neighboring territories.'
Unfortunately, Kim Hyunwoo wasn't in a position to build those ties right now.
He only had two heroes under him: Elena and Rani.
'...Once I start running the labyrinth city in earnest, things should sort themselves out by then. Maybe I should just plan development around that timeline?'
That was the dilemma he was mulling over.
And from a distant hill, watching such a Kim Hyunwoo.
"..."
Merrillda was observing him.
Her mood hadn't been great lately.
Of course, if you asked if something specific had happened, the answer was no.
Ever since the Absolute Ruler of Darkness's visit last time, nothing major had occurred for her. Kirral had dropped by afterward, but even he had vanished at some point.
In other words, there was no one here to sour her mood.
If anything, her spirits had been higher recently than back when she ruled the Red Eyes territory she'd carved out.
Unlike the days when she'd emotionlessly sought him only in dreams, now she could watch her master's figure every single day with her own eyes.
On top of that, the praise he'd given her last time still brought a natural smile to her lips whenever she recalled it.
...And yet, ironically, that was precisely why her mood had soured even more of late.
It wasn't Kim Hyunwoo's fault, naturally.
If there was a problem, it was hers.
More precisely, it was the issue of her craving praise—and what came after.
From the very start, on the day she'd first been rejected by Kim Hyunwoo and received his gift, Merrillda—who had stepped outside Lartania's borders—had resolved herself.
She would aid her master from the shadows, build his favor, and wait for him to call her back.
True to that, Merrillda had never once revealed herself to him, helping silently from afar.
She supported him quietly, waiting for the day he'd notice.
She had no complaints about that life.
But then, out of nowhere, when she'd heard his sudden praise, her resolve wavered.
Honestly, she'd assumed her master harbored mostly negative feelings toward her.
But surprisingly, Kim Hyunwoo—no, her master—did not.
On the contrary, she'd heard how he'd defended her in front of Elena.
That filled Merrillda with unmatched joy, and it sparked a new thought.
If her master didn't think poorly of her.
If he held slightly positive feelings rather than bad ones, maybe it was worth trying to talk to him again?
It clashed with her initial resolve, but once that idea took root in her mind, it swiftly dominated her thoughts, testing her patience without her realizing.
'...Master.'
Lately, whenever Kim Hyunwoo was alone, Merrillda often imagined standing before him.
She pictured kneeling for forgiveness, only for the master who'd rejected her to gently stroke her hair with utmost affection.
"..."
Each time such fantasies crossed her mind, a smile tugged at Merrillda's lips—but separately, her patience eroded like a parched man drinking seawater, growing ever thinner.
Especially when she saw her master speaking with Elena; sometimes it felt like she could hardly breathe.
And in that state, with even the most plausible excuse for appearing having come and gone, her patience had now reached its breaking point.
However.
"..."
Just as her restraint hit its limit, she felt the familiar weight in her left pocket. Merrillda quietly reached in and pulled out the small box.
Gazing at the modest gift from her master inside, she suddenly recalled Kirral's voice—absent here.
'Boss, if you want to impress that human guy, maybe take a more proactive approach?'
Words he'd cautiously offered when she was in low spirits, chances to appear having slipped away.
She'd brushed them off back then, in no mood to respond.
"...Something to earn master's praise..."
But now, belatedly reflecting on them.
"Take the initiative... to earn praise."
She murmured softly, eyes fixed on the lord's castle.
About five hours later.
As the sun dipped low, painting the sky in sunset hues, Kim Hyunwoo spotted Elena and the soldiers emerging from their 3rd-floor extermination run.
'Phew, good.'
Checking the info window, he smiled with relief—no casualties among the troops this time either. Clean extraction.
Soon after, Elena arrived at his office for the debrief, confirming what he'd half-expected from seeing everyone intact.
As per his predictions, no mishaps on the 3rd floor.
But there was one notable oddity again.
"Blue bones, huh? They showed up this time too?"
"Yes. This time, they even attacked the Quartz Golem first and destroyed the core in its right leg—the one you said was the biggest pain."
Elena placed a blue bone on his desk as she spoke.
Even at a glance, it was slightly larger than the previous ones.
Staring at it intently, Kim Hyunwoo thought.
'Yeah, there's definitely something going on in this labyrinth.'
Blue bones appearing near the 3rd floor convinced him some secret lurked within.
He couldn't pinpoint what yet, but it tied into the blue forest necromancers somehow.
After studying the bone Elena had brought for a while, Kim Hyunwoo set it aside and looked at her.
"You did great out there."
"No, it was all thanks to you, my lord. No real trouble this time either."
Elena gave a light smile in response.
She'd grown even better at smiling lately. After chatting with her a bit longer,
"Rest up for today. We'll go over the details tomorrow."
"Got it."
With that, he sent the hardworking Elena off to recuperate.
'Alright, tomorrow we dive straight into prep.'
Kim Hyunwoo thought with a grin.
The next day.
Having stayed up late investigating an oddity on the blue bone, Kim Hyunwoo woke later than usual.
"My lord, Duke Tesnoka of the Norba Kingdom has arrived at the territory."
"...What? The lord's here?"
"Yes."
Stunned by the sudden visit from another territory's lord, Kim Hyunwoo quickly composed himself and went to greet Duke Tesnoka.
Escorted by guards into the lord's office, there she stood: long, flowing amethyst hair cascading down to her hips, strikingly beautiful at first sight.
And then.
"By any chance... do you want to marry me?"
The words slipped casually from the lips of Duke Tesnoka, who gazed at him with utmost composure.
"...Huh?"
Kim Hyunwoo blurted out reflexively.
Boom-!
From the hill visible through the window, a small explosion echoed.